Monday, July 27, 2015

Yesterday we went for a nice foggy, cool (at least started that way) 3 mile walk from our place to Los-gordos Bar at La Bufadora for breakfast with friends and all our dogs. I learned 3 very important things during the walk: #1 ZZ Top is good walking music, #2 cold Pacifico is best served with breakfast, #3 exercise is painful...I woke up this morning and I am so sore!- MORE PHOTOS -

Rachel and I getting ready for our weekly gig at Mama Bears. This is the coolest place; the staff are awesome, the food is the best, and the customers are the coolest. We actually have people that come each week to see us. Plus, we talked them into two pizzas as part of our pay...1 pizza when we get there and 1 pizza to take home when we're done. Oh yah baby!- More Photos -

Sunday, July 19, 2015

From John - I don't know how many of you remember a couple of events Rachel and I have produced; one was several years back at Playa De Oro called Flamenco Nights, and more recently the Latino Fest. Although Rachel are big blues fans (obviously), our second love is Flamenco guitar, Flamenco dance and many styles of Spanish guitar (huge fans of The Gipsy Kings). We are in the process of doing another such event, only this time at a very unique rancho called Rosa Negra, with an amazing chef, and the best Flamenco performances anywhere outside of Spain. Today we scaled the mountainside above the location of the event, to give you another view of where this incredible night will be held. We'll continue to share the details as they become available...the date it set for September 12.

From John - I always consider others first - always. I make it a point to always be courteous to those around me, to a fault sometimes. I guess that is why when people don't do the same, it really pisses me off. The problem with me being pissed off, is I don't handle it well. Normally, I am a big, sweet teddy bear, but when I get angry I become a wounded Alaskan Grizzly. Once again, I loveRachel, she sees the transformation taking place before I do, and after 13 years is really good at taming the beast before bad things happen. I'm blessed....and those rude people...well all I can say is they have no idea how lucky they are to have her too.

Monday, July 13, 2015

John and I just enjoyed pizza with our favorites SOBs (Suns of Beaches) Denny Flannigan and Phillip Singletary at Mama Bear's Pizza in Punta Banda, they were great as usual and so was the awesome pizza. We almost ate two whole veggie pizzas; we forgot to say no cheese, so we had to order a second pizza when the first came out. So, there is one pizza with cheese (mine) and one without cheese (John's), we left with only 2 slices of cheese. We'll be playing at Mama Bears Pizza as 2Wild our acoustic duo, should be fun on Monday- July 14, 2015.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

The Wild Pack blues power trio wink emoticon! We had a really great time last night (July 11, 2015) at La Bufadora Restaurant and look forward to next Saturday. Last week a lady (Rose) and her girlfriend (Sue) came to see us. They both had a great time and danced most of the night. This week Rose came back and this time brought her husband (Richard).During our break she introduced us to her hubby and she said "I just love you guys, I'm not really a bluesy girl, but you guys really amp up the blues". Rachel and I both chimed in stereo "AMP UP THE BLUES"! We love it! I think we need to put it on a t-shirt. Thank you everyone for letting us share our passion for music with you.

July 9, 2015 - I had the privilege of playing a original one of a kind "Crossroad" guitar. Crossroads being the place where famed blues guitarist "Robert Johnson" allegedly sold his soul to the devil...it was where HWY 61 and HWY 49 cross in Clarksdale Mississippi. The guitar is an original "Strung Junk" guitar built by Steve Kinney and is made with a HWY 61 roadsign on one side, and a HWY 49 roadsign on the other and uses vintage pickups and components. Beautiful, great action and easy to play...Steve also makes a variety of other guitars, including some of my favorite which are made from vinatge cerca 1925 gas cans used in Model T fords and others. Steve will be at this years Baja Blues Fest in Rosarito...

Our backyard this summer, a beautiful area all to ourselves...the dogs are loving it as much as we are..Rachel gets to go running each morning up and down and around the hillsides overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Of course Rachel will also walk with her old man, when she is feeling less rambunctious.

John Pack wrote:All my girls waiting for me to finish breakfast...the ultimate hangover cure; garlic papas, over easy eggs, whole wheat garlic toast, with fresh roma tomatoes. Of course, I was the only one with a hangover.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Oh boy, Rachel knocked it out of the park for dinner. She did a baked Mako shark steaks encrusted in fresh coconut and seasoning, with roasted carrots and sweet peppers with an avocado salad. The shark was literally just out of the water, and the steak was only 29 pesos (less than $2). Oh yah, and a Mexican vodkatini. Out of this world!

Thursday, July 9, 2015

It is really cool to hang with friends away from your normal environment. I mean, when you reconnect with people from one community in another community it seems to make you feel closer in some odd way...in any case, I really like it. Just spent the afternoon with Phillip and NickiNomi at their cool casa in Punta Banda and really enjoyed the day. Plus, our dogs all got along which is a plus, just another great baja day.

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

From John PackI don't know how I could live without Rachel. In addition to being an amazing wife, business partner, music partner and everything else...she also makes it possible for me to continue living. Sometimes the pain I feel is so bad, I'm not sure I could live with it...but she takes the pain away. When I was in my 20's I was run over by a car, actually killed me, chalked around my body, the works...just like in the movies. Broke most of the bones in body: ankles, knees, pelvis, sternum, clavicle and on and on..in any case, the nerve damage was immense and the older I get the worse and more frequent the pain...sure there are drugs, and this and that...but it is my Rachel that relieves me of the pain better than any of it, by killing the inflamed nerves with her hands. I am blessed to have her.

It's movie time! You gotta have a snack with the movies, so Rachel made us hummus, with black bean fingers, fresh veggies and crackers. The movie was pretty good too...it was "Dragon Blade" with Jackie Chan and John Cusack about the Romans and Chinese on the silk road.

Sunday, July 5, 2015

Yesterday was the first Sunday (July 5, 2015) in a very long time that I didn't cook breakfast for the whole family. So, in honor of the family Sunday breakfast we cooked up a big em' breakfast anyways...garlic wheat toast, eggs and country papas....wish I could have shared it: Joyce Reid Lawrence, Richard Lawrence, & Gene Jensen.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Banda At My Front DoorAnother music first for me...we apparently have the RV spot backstage. Today our campo is having a fiesta and the band is setting up directly out our front door. These shots are taken through our door and kitchen window. I think it might get loud. The celebrations begin...we have a band right outside our door and in 4 hours we play ourselves just a few miles away...a day of music. A Mexican band (banda) is playing outside our front door for the 4th of July celebration. Its a warm up for ourselves that are playing a few miles away 4 hours from now. This band ends when at the time we begin. - Watch Video -